


Across all of it and the next

by shippingisprobsmyjob007



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, M/M, Miroh - Freeform, Robots, Stray Kids Miroh, There is love, because i can't not have love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-03-29 11:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19018756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shippingisprobsmyjob007/pseuds/shippingisprobsmyjob007
Summary: Pangea is the country where dictators have decided to keep the remaining human beings that survived the illnesses and civil wars the destruction of most of the world due to natural disasters brought. Nine lives, five human, change forever when they decide to advocate for what might be the last human civilization.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading my story! If you enjoy this story and want to keep up to date with all of my story ideas and new chapters for multi chapter stories, follow me on my twitter @sipmj_007 !!

_ -Across the mountain and Range across the river and the ocean Across all of it and the next- _

 

**Location: Southeast of Asian District, Northwest of Islander District. Asian District side of Lake Baikal - In the Past**

 

It was a sunny and hot day. This was uncommon, Jeongin knew, from the stories he had heard about the place. It was called Russia, once upon a time, before it became Pangea. And it was quite chilly most of the time. But he wasn’t complaining. He enjoyed the little times the Sun would shine through and actually evoke warmth around him. He ran alongside Lake Baikal when he noticed a kid in a raft, right in the middle of the lake. He looked terrified, and not much older than Jeongin. He was close enough that Jeongin could scream at him and try to figure out what was he doing there.

“Hello!” Jeongin screamed and the boy turned to him, horrified.

“Help me!” was all the boy could say and Jeongin nodded and ran away. His house wasn’t far, and he knew his dad would be of much more help. He was right, as his dad was able to swim to almost the middle of the lake and threw a rope at the kid. He instructed him to hold it tight as he swam back to where Jeongin was, ready with heating towels. It was hot out, but that only made the lake colder. When his dad and the boy made it to safety, Jeongin wrapped the kid with a towel. He wasn’t much bigger than him, a bit taller perhaps. But he looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept for days. His skin was pale, as much of his general complexion was, making way for the freckles on his face to contrast his skin defiantly. His lips were already starting to turn blue and Jeongin was absolutely terrified now.

“Run to mom, have her get food and water heated,” Jeongin’s dad instructed as he picked up the kids wrapped in the towels. Jeongin nodded and ran as fast as he could. He made it a few minutes before his dad did and gave the instructions to his mom exactly as his dad did.

The Yang family held their breaths for hours after they brought the child from the middle of the lake. Jeongin’s mom tried her best to make him feel warm and gave him food, which he ate as if he hadn’t eaten in days, just like Jeongin thought. They wrapped him in as many blankets as they could, and he immediately fell asleep right after dinner. They had no idea who he was or why he was all alone. All they could do, was wait until he woke up.

When Jeongin woke up, he heard some voices outside his door. He remembered the boy from the day before, and ran over to the kitchen where he found him eating. His definitely looked better, not as sick anymore. He started to actually show some color in his cheeks and nose, and Jeongin smiled at him. He sat by him at the table.

“My name is Yang Jeongin! I’m four,” Jeongin excitedly introduced himself as his mom put a plate of breakfast in front of him.

“I’m Felix. I’m five,” the boy replied with a soft smile.

“Jeongin, sweetie, eat,” his mom encouraged. “As you do, I want to tell you that Felix here will be staying with us for a while.”

“Why?” Jeongin asked.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” his dad reprimanded. He sat across the boys and shrugged. “He just needs a place to stay for a bit. Don’t worry about it.”

"For a bit", started to become weeks, and then months. At some point, Jeongin celebrated Felix turning six, and then seven, and eight, and so on… to anyone who would ask, Jeongin had one big brother. And he had freckles because angels kissed him so much before he was born. That’s what his mom would say any time somebody made fun of them. Jeongin began to get in trouble in town whenever his dad asked him to do deliveries for them, because other kids would be mean to Felix. He never comprehended why they kept calling him  _ Islander  _ as if they had eaten something that didn’t taste good. Jeongin became protective of his brother, no matter where he came from. He was rather aware of the day he found him, though he was four, it had been etched in his memory like nothing else had. He gained a brother. That’s all that mattered to him.

Luckily, his friends were as protective as he was of him. Kim Woojin, whose dad was good friends with Jeongin’s, was a very quiet boy until one day some kid threatened to beat Felix and Jeongin up. He could’ve managed it better, being the oldest of the friends, but the bully was his age, seven years older than Felix. So Woojin, who had taken the boys out to the town to hang out for a bit while he was babysitting them, punched the boy in the mouth and told him to leave him alone. After he managed to make his hand hurt less back at Jeongin’s cabin, he prepared them fried chicken and mashed potatoes. It was mostly for himself, but Woojin knew the kids absolutely loved the food.

Then there was Han Jisung, the son of the town’s baker. He once saw Felix getting bread at his dad’s shop and recognized his accent. His dad did too, and had to reassure Felix that when they said  _ Islander  _ they meant well because Jisung’s late mother had been one. This happened when Felix was eight, and since then, they had been friends. At first, Jeongin felt a bit jealous Felix had made a friend that wasn’t his friend too. But Jisung absolutely  _ adored  _ how cute Jeongin was, so he won him over by bringing the best pastries from the shop.

And, then there was Kim Seungmin. He was rather quiet, too, until he got in trouble which is when he’d use his favorite lie: he was Kim Woojin’s brother. In reality, they only knew each other through Jeongin, and Woojin had babysat him a few times thanks to Jeongin’s mom’s recommendation. But Kim Seungmin loved Woojin and his fried chicken and truly wished he was his brother. He also liked Felix because he truly believed he had been kissed by angels. And he wondered if his grandmother had been one of those angels. He’d try to guess which of his freckles looked like something his grandma could’ve done. He figured that was why they met. Nevermind he was friends with Jeongin and one day he came over to play and Felix was there.

They enjoyed spending their time hearing stories of the old world. When the world was bigger than Pangea, when civilizations where divided by oceans and there were artifacts that flew across the skies that helped people meet each other. Jeongin’s parents kept a library full of books banned by the government. They had maps, and history, about places that none of them could even imagine existed. The books stopped shortly before the creation of Pangea. The story after that, as told by Jeongin’s grandparents, was simple: at some point, most of the regions outside of the old Russia were becoming unlivable. Millions began to die, of diseases or civil wars. Many seeked a way to survive, and looked up to a man who came from the old Europe who had an idea. An idea to use the largest, mostly uncontaminated territory in the world, and have as many survivors move there. But, of course, not many could endure this trip. For some, the trip itself killed them. The few who managed to make it to Russia were divided into districts depending where they came from. The bigger the sector, the poorer they started to become. It wasn’t long before that one man became a dictator, naming four ministers to assist him in the job. Pangea was created under the impression that union was the only way to save humanity as a whole.

All of these stories were new to Felix. He had never heard anything like this. Not that he had many people willing to tell him stories before. He found it fascinating to hear that there had been so much history, so many places, so many sights different from the common almost year long winters they had been raised on. But, as soon as their story times ended, it was time to play. They usually ended with Woojin somehow finding them and barging in. “One day,” he’d tell them, “you’ll get yourselves or your families killed with these stories and books.”

“They are true, though!” Jeongin would complain and Woojin would sigh.

“Doesn’t mean they are safe.”

\----------------------------

Felix and Jeongin were the pride of the Yang family. As his dad became a bit older, Jeongin began to develop new ways to make his fishing job easier. With little materials he’d find scattered around, Jeongin was able to provide a way to help his mom clean the house without her moving much. It was like a small robot, like the ones he’d read about in the old books his parents owned. It cleaned without anyone having to manage it. Just one button, and it’d clean up.

Felix, on the other hand, wasn’t as much into technology as he was into words. He negotiated well, and would help their dad a lot with sales and bargaining. He had a way to entice anyone who would listen, and change their perspectives. He would try and look cute to get out of any trouble, too. Even their mom had issues with putting him in time outs, he always managed to talk himself out of them, which their day often told her she had to stop being so affected by him. It never worked.

But, the bliss of their childhood and early teenage years wasn’t meant to last. After walking around town trying to find materials for a project Jeongin wanted to work on, they came back to their house to find their mom severely ill. Nobody could tell them why, and the only doctor in town explained that it was some sort of poisoning that could only be treated either at or with products from the Capital. The medicine didn’t come on time.

Their worlds crumbled at the same time and they had each other.

Felix would spend sleepless nights crying on his bed, held by an equally devastated Jeongin. But, just as it had been since day one, Jeongin found strength from seemingly nowhere to be there for Felix.  _ “I bet she’s mad she died after meeting you. She probably wishes to had been one of the angels who kissed and marked your face.” _

Their dad, however, couldn’t find his strength anywhere. He stopped working, leaving Jeongin and Felix to pick up the slack. And then, one day, they came back to a silent cabin. Their dad laid comfortably in his bed, holding the pillow their mom used. They didn’t find the reason anywhere around. So they guessed he was too heartbroken to live. He only made it through a month.

Their worlds crumbled at the same time but they had each other.

Felix began to cry less. He was overcome with gratitude. He had Jeongin. All thanks to them. And Jeongin placed his own grief on hold as he tried to keep himself and Felix afloat. With the help of his friends, of course.

Jeongin was working on one of his latest projects in their kitchen when a loud sound made him turn around to the door. Five uniformed men barged into the cabin and grabbed Jeongin by force. Felix tried to keep them from doing so, but despite fighting his hardest, Jeongin was gone. They only left an envelope behind, with money. Enough to cover his life for a few years, Felix thought.

His world crumbled apart. But now he was alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you like this story and want to be updated on new chapters and my writing process, please follow my twitter account made specifically for fic updates: @ sipmj_007 !

**Location: The Capital (Formerly known as the European District) - The Present**

“Yang Jeongin… I believe I have given you enough time to complete this project.” Jeongin stood in front of a desk, he nervously ran his hand through his hair. “Yet, you have failed to provide me with at least one result.”

“Sir,” Jeongin replied, trying his best to not sound as nervous as he felt. “It is hard to complete this project within the time frame you gave me when it’s just me…”

“Are you saying pardoning your life was a mistake then? I wonder if any of your late classmates would’ve done this job faster.”

“No, sir, that’s not what I mean…” Jeongin gulped. “One of the four is almost complete. He should be done within two days, maybe less.”

“Make it by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir,” Jeongin responded. He took that as his cue to leave before he was stopped.

“I have placed a new soldier to guard your lab. You should maybe get to know him and explain a bit of what you’re doing so he is aware of what is at stake. You are dismissed.”

Jeongin hated having to go into the Military Minister’s office. He always had the sensation he wouldn’t wake up the morning after, that he’d be killed silently yet painfully. Nobody would know. Felix wouldn’t know.

He walked around the halls of the Ministry and began to descend towards the lower levels to make way to his lab. He was too focused on trying to think about ways he could accelerate the process enough he could be done by the morning. He knew sleeping was out of the question, and hoped that the assistant could help him out by finding the strongest coffee in the Capital. He would appreciate that plus, as long as he was alive, she would still have a job, too.

When he walked by her desk he made sure to place his request. She gave him a comforting smile, knowing this meant he had a long night ahead again. He had almost made it to his lab when he noticed the new soldier standing by it. Jeongin’s eyes widened to the point where they hurt, he gasped loudly. He looked around and motioned for the soldier to walk into the lab with him.

“Woojin!” Jeongin screamed, basically jumping onto Woojin’s arms. They hugged tightly, Jeongin could feel the air leaving his body but he didn’t care.

“I knew it,” Woojin whispered in his ear, “I knew I’d find you. I never stopped believing I would.” Jeongin’s eyes teared, Woojin was as familiar as ever. He smelled the same, and his voice hadn’t changed at all. He was looking a bit paler than he did back when they were younger, but his body was more defined, probably thanks to the training in the military. “Can they hear us?”

“No,” Jeongin said as he began to break their embrace. “They are afraid of hacking. What is being done here… is something they don’t want anyone else to know about and use against them. So they figured it’d be easier to have no way any information could be found by any outsider,” Jeongin explained as he walked through his lab towards the eight monitors that were, at the time, shut off. “It also helps I am absolutely terrified of them and they know. So they trust I will keep my mouth shut.”

“How have you been, Jeongin?” Woojin asked, pulling a chair close to Jeongin’s desk.

“Exhausted. Terrified. Wanting to go home… how is Felix, where is he?” Jeongin asked, his heart beginning to feel heavy at the thought. He could still hear Felix’s screams when he was taken away, how he tried to fight and plead so they wouldn’t take Jeongin away and the way he just cried when he realized he had failed.

“He is fine! All grown up, too, just like you. You wouldn’t recognize him though, his voice changed? After you were taken it just … became so deep? We were concerned it had to do with how much he cried because you were gone but it’s been years. He kind of sounds like your dad now… it’s almost as if they truly had been related by blood.”

“They were related by something stronger than blood, I believe… What has he been up to?” Jeongin asked, feeling relieved. All he wanted for the last five years was to know Felix was alright. He wasn’t given a chance to try and even leave the Capital. Especially not after he was given his actual task.

“Well… now that I’ve found you…” Woojin gulped and looked at Jeongin. “Listen, it’s a long story.”

“I have time,” Jeongin said as he began to turn on his computer and his monitors. “I gotta finish this by tomorrow morning and I don’t think I can sleep. Maybe you can help me stay awake. I am also waiting on some coffee. Would you like some? I can ask the girl at the front desk to get some for you!” Woojin shook his head.

“No that’s okay…” Woojin started. “You know things haven’t been that great in Pangea in general, right? We were living in poverty… surviving instead of living. Jeongin, most of our friends’ families have lost everything… including their lives. And, at first, no one paid much attention until somebody realized that… it started with your mom.” Jeonging stiffened. He turned around to face Woojin. “They are killing us, Jeongin. And we don’t know why or how but they are. Coming to this conclusion was easy. To figure out what to do was a bit harder… Until Jisung discovered there is a group of people, rebels. Most of them Islanders. They’ve been treated the worst, Jeongin…”

“I believe that,” Jeongin said. “Felix came from that district, remember?”

“Yes. And they have been conspiring to take down the dictatorship.” Woojin remained silent after, letting Jeongin understand his words for a bit.

“You guys joined?” Jeongin asked. Woojin nodded.

“There is no concrete plan, though. Nobody knows what to do, exactly. I enlisted to find you. It was our plan. Jeongin, you are so smart. That’s why you were taken. Do you want to join us? And help? You are at the most advantageous point here. Taking down the Military…”

“Would make them weak,” Jeongin finished. Woojin nodded. “I was taken five years ago. They brought me here and threw me at a dungeon with sixteen other kids. Some of them I befriended. And then, we were taken to these incredible labs… and they’d have us create. No instructions. Just use what we had available to create.” Jeongin sighed. “Weeks passed and there were less classmates. We thought they were being sent back home. And, they were. But when it was down to five, we were told that they wanted something very specific.” Jeongin stood up and motioned Woojin to follow him. He opened a door next to where his desk was at, revealing a room with four capsule beds. The room was dark, yet blue lights inside the capsules gave the room a bit of light. Enough to walk around and figure what was in them. Woojin gasped when he saw into one capsule Jeongin pointed at. “I was the closest one to get what they wanted. But, because we were aware of what they wanted, my other classmates weren’t as lucky as the first.”

“Jeongin…” Woojin whispered as he softly touched the capsule.

“They were murdered, Woojin. And they did so in front of me. So I’d know what would happen if I didn’t comply,” Jeongin shivered. “They cut their throats in a white room. Their blood was splattered on the walls and the floor, some probably reached the ceiling, too. Lots of it was on my clothes, my hands, my skin in general... We had been together for about a year, those boys and girls, and I.” Woojin stared once again into the capsule. “I spent weeks where I’d shower for hours just because I wanted to get the feeling of their blood off me.”

“I’m sorry, Jeongin,” Woojin mumbled. “I understand if you don’t want to join. It’s too dangerous.”

“They took me away from Felix,” Jeongin interrupted. He looked furious, crumbling a piece of paper Woojin hadn’t even noticed he grabbed from his desk. “Of course I want to bring them down.”

“Jeongin,” Woojin repeated but Jeongin only smiled.

“His name is Chan. He is one out of the four… Chan needs to be ready by tomorrow morning if I want to live.”

\--------------------------------------

 

The night was as long as Jeongin expected. He spent countless hours at his computer, programming a chip that was as big as his thumb. His major concern was to make sure the chip was programmed correctly so that nobody else could corrupt it.

“He is supposed to follow their instructions,” Jeongin told Woojin as he programmed. “They taught me how to do this. They call them robots, like the ones we read about in my parents’ books. I never thought we could create one that looked so human… But, I think I know how to help. The cause, I mean. I just need him to act like he will follow their orders no matter what tomorrow morning. And to do that, I just want to program him for approximately the time the meeting should last,” Jeongin kept hitting his keyboard, the letters and numbers in the monitors going rapidly. Woojin couldn’t catch up with any of it, and he wasn’t ashamed to say he had absolutely no clue what Jeongin was doing. “After that, he can take in the real programmation. Which is what I am inserting right now into the codes.”

“I have no idea what you are saying right now, Jeongin,” Woojin confessed. Jeongin chuckled.

“I am using their knowledge against them,” Jeongin said and suddenly his computer went blank. The chip was expelled from it seconds after. “We are using the four to take them down.”

“How?” Woojin asked, a bit fascinated. He stared into the screens, still absolutely clueless of what any of the white letters and numbers against the various colored backgrounds meant. The way Jeongin typed and moved from one screen to another was incredible.

“He will act as they expect him to whenever they are around,” Jeongin explained. “But when they aren’t I just have to click this switch,” Jeongin showed him a small cube, which had an even smaller switch in it. “He’d then use the actual program I want him to have. Which is the one that will help us.”

“So he’d be acting?” Woojin asked and Jeongin laughed.

“Yes! Yes, he would be like an actor, those we read about!” Jeongin exclaimed. His face was a mix between concentration and excitement, and he looked like the kid Woojin remembered.

“I gotta send the message to the others,” Woojin said, a bit more excited.

“How are you communicating with them?” Jeongin asked.

“There is a bar, close to the main square.”

“Ah,” Jeongin said.

“It has a tunnel that connects to various roads outside the Capital. You choose one and you find yourself in any of the districts.”

“You can’t be gone for that long, Woojin, they’ll suspect!” Jeongin said and Woojin smiled.

“Calm down. I don’t go in. We have various people who do the messaging for the cause. Besides, Felix and the guys aren’t in our district right now.”

“Where are they?” Jeongin asked.

“They are in the Northern America district…”

“That’s so close, Woojin!” Jeongin shrieked. He could feel his heart beat beginning to go faster, and he was tearing up again.

“Yes. If I send the message tonight,” Woojin said as he grabbed a paper and pencil from Jeongin’s desk, “they’d be here tomorrow evening.”

“Where are they staying?” Jeongin asked.

“A safe house,” Woojin said. “So make sure to finish that right now. I want you to be alive when they get here.”

“Could you please not tell my brother? I want to surprise him,” Jeongin smiled. Woojin nodded.

“I can never say no to you.”

“Well, let’s go check if this worked.”

They walked back towards the capsule room. In there, Jeongin turned on the lights closest to the capsule he had shown Woojin before. He opened it and held the robot’s head up to place the chip behind his neck. Jeongin slowly caressed his face and moved his hair from his forehead. It took a few seconds and, just like that, his eyes opened. Slowly, he sat, and looked around. He looked at his hands and moved his legs slightly in the capsule. He touched his defined abdomen and then his shoulders.

“Hello,” Jeongin whispered. He took a few seconds before smiling at Jeongin.

“‘Sup, mate,” he responded, sounding excited and with a strange accent Woojin slightly recognized.

“You made him an Islander?” Woojin asked, furrowing his brows in surprise.

“I missed my brother, okay?” Jeongin explained.

Woojin chuckled but immediately stopped when he noticed Chan staring at him. Jeongin’s work was impressive. He even looked like he was breathing, his chest going up and down slowly.

“I don’t remember Felix being so fit ever,” Woojin said.

“No, that was just creative liberty I had to take. I was basing in my observations of one of the books my parents had. It spoke about people in a country called Australia, and the book they had spoke about their swimmers.”

“Oh, I remember those. He does look like a swimmer,” Woojin said. Chan’s face was delicate. It looked like it would be soft to the touch. Yet it was as sharp as the rest of his muscles were. His brown eyes kept staring at Woojin, his lips were so full, pink, and slightly parted. He looked as if he was in deep thought. Woojin was, too. He wondered if it was rude to touch a robot’s skin. Or his hair. Jeongin had chosen a blond, curly hair for him. “He is beautiful.”

Woojin thought he was crazy. He could’ve sworn Chan had a reaction to those words. His lips moved to a slight smile. And, he had to commend Jeongin on this, it truly looked as if his cheeks were shaded with a red tint.

“He looks so human,” Jeongin commented. “Which was the purpose, yes. But wow. What is your name?” Jeongin asked the robot.

“My name is Chan,” the robot lively responded. “You are Jeongin. You created me.”

“Yes,” Jeongin smiled.

“Thank you.”

“He can feel gratitude?” Woojin asked. 

“He is a robot, Woojin. He isn't sentient. He can’t feel anything. But, I programmed him to make sure he looked and sounded like he did. He has to be as human as possible.”

Woojin kept looking at Chan. He didn't know much about what was happening. But he looked like maybe Jeongin was underestimating him. Chan looked at Woojin, almost warmly. He followed each of his movements which was making Woojin nervous.

“I think you will live another day,” Woojin said. Jeongin chuckled.

“I better. I want to see my brother again.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Location: The Capital (Formerly known as the European District) - The Present**

Despite having only slept for about four hours, Jeongin felt as if he had slept for ten. The adrenaline and caffeine rushing his veins helped, the bitter taste of the drink Woojin brought to wake him up still present in his lips. It wasn’t his favorite, but he didn’t drink coffee when he last saw Woojin so there was no reason for him to know that he hated black coffee. He drank it as if it wasn’t a problem, and hugged Woojin tightly, trying to make sure he was fully convinced that Woojin  _ was  _ there with him and that, in a few hours, he’d be holding his brother the same way.

For three hours, they waited in the lab. Chan was up and running, walking around looking at the other three, asking questions to Jeongin. Jeongin couldn’t remember when he coded Chan to be so curious about things he already should’ve had answers for, according to his coding that is, and found it interesting. To Woojin, it was just adorable. He kept forgetting that this man was just a creation by Jeongin, that his veins were thousands of cords sending various electric signals in between them to make him work. He spoke like an Islander because Jeongin made him that way, he looked at Woojin with interested eyes because Jeongin made him that way, he looked handsome, and very much real because  _ Jeongin made him that way.  _ But, Chan would ask any other questions and Woojin would forget about it all and find it adorable. He was a grown man, but he asked questions like a child. It reminded him of Jeongin when he was younger. And Felix. And Jisung and Seungmin, too. They were all curious, always asking questions, some were regular questions about their daily lives, others, were some dangerous questions that Woojin always feared would get them in trouble.

It’s what he figured happened to Jeongin when he was taken away. Though everyone wanted to truly believe he was alive, it was mostly for Felix’s sake they had kept their optimism. To Woojin, Jeongin was taken away for his questions and the knowledge he had that he shouldn’t have. He didn’t expect to ever find him again, much less alive. But, convincing himself that Jeongin wasn’t alive without proof was breaking his heart, and acting as if everything was okay around Felix was exhausting.

At 9 o’clock, there was a sharp series of three knocks. Jeongin stood from his chair and made sure he looked presentable. He nervously smiled at Chan who softly patted his back as Woojin went to open the door.

Two soldiers walked in, holding rifles and having an overall intimidating aura. Jeongin wondered how Woojin was able to go through his training if other soldiers were as scary as these two. Behind them was the Military Defense’s Minister and, behind him, two more soldiers carrying rifles and looking as intimidating as the previous ones. Before the doors closed, Jeongin noticed that two more soldiers just waited right outside the lab. The Minister was probably scared for his life and, who wouldn’t be. News of rebels throughout the whole of Pangea had been spreading for months, something someone who spent most of his time at the lab like Jeongin didn’t know. But, according to Woojin, they had started to make a name for themselves. And the Minister was not happy.

“Good morning, sir,” Jeongin greeted. He tried to keep his composure as the Minister’s dark eyes examined him. He wondered if he had missed Chan standing right next to him.

“Good morning. I am hoping to see results today, Yang Jeongin. Time is running out,” the Minister’s sharp voice made Jeongin feel a chill down his spine. He could never get used to him. He tried to be brave but he was, absolutely, terrified. That man personally held his shoulders as soldiers killed his classmates in cold blood. He could still hear his words clearly.  _ “Be grateful it wasn’t you.” _

“Yes, sir,” Jeongin gulped. “Please, sit,” he offered his desk chair and the Minister sat down. “I would like to introduce you to one of the four,” he pointed at Chan who stood next to him wearing black pants and a black shirt. Woojin had found an extra pair of boots that somehow fit Chan. “His name is Chan.” Chan nodded politely at the Minister. Jeongin began to relax a bit once he saw the Minister’s face shift into one of amazement. “As per the request of the state, Chan has been coded to follow the instructions of whoever is in charge. This code is a simple one that can be changed at any time depending on the needs of the state. He is knowledgeable in all of the languages used in Pangea as well as tactics in hand to hand and armed combats. I coded him to have incredible stealth.”

“He looks like an Islander,” the Minister interrupted. Jeongin nodded.

“And he speaks like one too, sir. Each of the four have characteristics of one of the regions. I have made Chan an Islander because you can find many of them in the military. It wouldn’t be surprising to anyone who didn’t know what he is.”

“Very good,” the Minister smiled sinisterly. “Very… good.”

“With this,” Jeongin grabbed a small device that Woojin hadn’t seen. “You can easily give him commands even within a great distance. It goes in your ear and is connected to him.”

“Interesting,” the Minister grabbed the small device and took a look at it. “Chan, correct?” Both Chan and Jeongin nodded. The Minister smiled, his unnatural white teeth bared at them as if he was some sort of wild animal. “Neutralize,” the Minister said while taking a look at Woojin. 

Nobody had enough time to react. Chan, just like Jeongin promised, was incredibly stealthy and within seconds was choking Woojin with his right arm while he kept Woojin’s arms locked behind him with his left. He was incredibly strong and Woojin tried to get him off himself but it was useless. It was a bad time to realize that Jeongin had made him warm, and despite starting to lack oxygen, he was once again impressed with Jeongin’s skills. Jeongin, however, was shaking in place, seeing how Chan held Woojin and Woojin was becoming pale at every second. He wanted to ask him to stop, and argue it was some sort of malfunction. But, he was frozen in place, his eyes starting to tear up, almost choking on his own tears that were threatening to escape his eyes. He feared that this was intentional. He feared the Minister knew about Woojin and the others and that this wasn’t just to test Chan’s strength. When he really thought this was it for Woojin, the Minister held his hand up.

“Enough.” Chan immediately let go of Woojin yet remained closed as he could see Woojin couldn’t stand on his own until he caught his breath back. “Impressive. Jeongin, very impressive,” the Minister clapped and Jeongin let a nervous laugh escape. “What can I expect from you by this afternoon?”

“The second of the four should be completely coded and ready to go, sir,” Jeongin explained, not caring about how his voice sounded like his voice was fighting to escape his throat. It was shaky and low, much lower than it usually was around the Minister. But if the Minister noticed or not he didn’t seem to care. He stood up from his chair, and went to shake Jeongin’s hand. 

“I knew your life was worth something, kid,” he mumbled while standing incredibly close to Jeongin. He shook his hand roughly, turned around, and left without another word. The soldiers followed him and the door was closed leaving the three in a tense silence. Jeongin held his breath and waited. When he was sure they were gone, he let it all out and walked over to Woojin who was resting against the wall while Chan checked on him.

“I am so sorry, Woojin,” Chan kept repeating. It was surprising to Jeongin how the words sounded so heart felt, he kept being impressed by what he did. He looked at Chan’s expressions that denoted the same feeling all while Woojin smiled weakly at him and kept repeating himself, too.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Woojin are you okay?” Jeongin finally managed to ask. Woojin nodded. 

“I was trained for this, Jeongin. It’s not the first time I’ve been in this position,” Woojin replied. His face was starting to regain color and Jeongin let out a sigh of relief. He internally chuckled at how Chan kept opening Woojin’s eyes with his fingers, checking on them, and checking his pulse on his neck. He was so immersed in seeing how his coding for care was working on Chan that he completely ignored the way Woojin whimpered at Chan’s hand on his neck and the way he swallowed nervously. He was trying to look away but it was hard to do so when Chan’s face was merely centimeters away from him. 

“I think he is okay,” Chan announced, finally walking away from Woojin. Not too far though. Jeongin clapped excitedly.

“Chan! You were perfect!” 

Woojin thought so, too.

“Okay, guys. I have to start finishing the codes for the second of the four. And prepare myself mentally for explaining to the Minister in a way that won’t make him want to have me shot.”

“Why? He seemed impressed with your work,” Woojin asked and Jeongin smiled weakly.

“It’s more about his appearance… to be honest I designed him in a fit of rage.”

“Jeongin, what do you mean?” Woojin asked. Jeongin asked him to follow him. Chan followed, close to Woojin, still looking at him as if he expected him to pass out right then and there.

“How long have you been in the capital?” Jeongin asked. Woojin shrugged.

“Almost two years,” Woojin replied. Jeongin nodded.

“Did you ever hear the rumors about the Minister of Business’ son?”

“Yeah, I have heard,” Woojin replied. Chan stared at both of them in utter confusion and this was something Jeongin didn’t really program him to know.

“It wasn’t long after the first few people in my class were gone that I heard about  _ him.  _ We found an old newspaper somewhere nearby the building, and it had an old picture of the Minister’s son. They were looking for him. And I thought it was so sad that even the rich’s sons could disappear,” Jeongin began to input some numbers in the pod next to the one that used to be Chan’s. It beeped and began to let out some steam. “It was one of the other boys who explained to me that there was a rumor that his son wasn’t really lost. His son was a rebel and went against everything his father stood up for and was so open about it. So rumor has it…”

“He had his son killed,” Woojin finished. Jeongin nodded as the capsule began to open. He motioned for Woojin to come closer.

“When I finished Chan’s design I was suddenly hit with rage. Remember, I based him off Felix and I hadn’t really had time to process what they did to us. I wished I could rebel and go home but I knew if I rebelled they’d just kill me instead,” Woojin got close enough to see and gasped loudly. “So I based the second of the four into what I thought the Minister’s son would look like today.”

“Jeongin!” Woojin exclaimed in both awe and pure fear. Just like Chan, unless it was somebody who knew, no one would notice that this man wasn’t human. His eyes remained closed, his eyelashes long and resting perfectly against his porcelain like skin. His lips were charming and as delicate as his skin was, perfectly pink. His hair was parted in the middle, slight brown bangs framing his face. He wasn’t a muscular as Chan was, Woojin noticed. His built was slightly smaller than Chan’s.

“He is gorgeous,” Woojin gasped, feeling Chan’s intense gaze from the corner of his eye. 

“It was too late when I realized it might’ve been a bad idea for me to make him look like this,” Jeongin pouted. “But I also believe he is beautiful. Almost like a doll.”

“And what will you tell the Minister?” Woojin asked. Jeongin stared off at the other side of the room where he walked to get the chip. He wanted to see if there were any improvements he had to make before the Minister came back though he truly believed it was all done. He placed the chip behind his head like he did with Chan. A few second after his eyes fluttered opened. Slowly, he sat down and looked around at each of them. He frowned yet softly smiled right after. 

“I don’t know,” Jeongin replied. “But somebody needed to make Lee Minho some justice.”

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

“This would shut down the rumors, sir,” Jeongin finished. The Minister visited earlier than they had anticipated, not giving him enough time to finish some of the codes he wanted to revisit. The Minister stared at everyone in disbelief. “It’d be a way for the people to see that he is fine and he’d be following instructions. So, there wouldn’t be a worry.”

“We could have your head for this,” the Minister replied. “But, I have also heard these rumors. And they are potentially harmful to our government and society as it is now. I will present this to the others and will give the Business Minister a heads up so he can plan accordingly.” 

“Of course, sir,” Jeongin replied. Chan and Woojin stood in a corner, barely visible. Jeongin hoped the Minister wouldn’t want another demonstration of strength. 

“This was very well thought, actually. You truly are a genius, boy,” the Minister began to get ready to go at once. Jeongin smiled softly though, inside, he was laughing at how the Minister truly misinterpreted what he had done. 

After the Minister and his soldiers were gone, Jeongin looked at Woojin and smiled. Woojin smiled back, finally at ease. 

“It’s good he came in early, you need to get ready.”

“For what?” Jeongin asked, teasingly. He knew what Woojin meant. He was seeing his brother in a few hours.

“Stop,” Woojin chuckled as he patted Jeongin’s head. He looked over at Chan having a conversation with Minho. The way the moved, and their expressions, even the way Chan would laugh at something Minho said or how Minho would look at Chan with a look of pure judgement in his face was incredibly funny to him. 

“I’ll go see what is going on. You should do whatever you have to do to leave them here safely,” Woojin said. Jeongin nodded. “I’ll pick you up when they are at the safe house.”

It took Woojin approximately two hours but, to Jeongin, it felt like two days. He talked with both Chan and Minho, answering questions they had but, mostly, telling them about his brother Felix.

When Woojin came back, Jeongin was just wrapping up with the two and instructed them to go into each of their pods. Inside them they’d be in something similar to a dream state until Jeongin came back. They did so with no complaints, both easily laying down and closing their eyes. Jeongin locked the door and then locked the lab’s doors as he followed Woojin. 

The walk to the safe house wasn’t long. The safe house was incredibly close to the Military Ministry and the town square. It was hid in an alley at the northest point of the square. Every step made Jeongin’s heart palpitate faster, to the point where all he could hear was his own heartbeat. Woojin tried to keep up a conversation yet he knew Jeongin wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t until he was about to open the door to the house that Jeongin finally spoke.

“Is he mad at me?” Jeongin asked softly. Woojin frowned and hugged him. 

“He could never be.”

That seemed to calm Jeongin down a bit. They walked in, and were greeted by a long corridor. The house had two levels to it, Jeongin had never seen one of those before. The stairs were tall and seemingly infinite especially as they walked up. They could hear excited chatting behind a door that was directly to the right of the stairs. Woojin rhythmically knocked five times. As promised, he didn’t tell Felix he had found Jeongin though the others did know. So when Jisung opened the door he bit his lip to not react and let them walk by him, Woojin first. He patted Jeongin’s head. Jeongin was beginning to feel dizzy as he walked into the room and spotted him. Sure, he had grown up. But he was still familiar enough for Jeongin to realize who he was even while he was sitting with his back facing him. 

Everyone stood in silence as Jeongin slowly walked around a red couch, his breath hitching at every step. Felix held some papers in his hands and didn’t look immediately. He noticed the silence, though, and the hesitant steps getting closer to him out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to find Jeongin, tears already streaming down his cheeks. And though he was feeling completely weak and close to passing out, he shakingly stood up from the couch and embraced Jeongin letting a loud scream escape his throat. Everyone began to applaud them, their eyes tearing up as much as theirs, while the two boys stood in the center of the room, sobbing into each other’s shoulders, both lacking strength to even stand up properly yet somehow keeping the other up on his feet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! every new chapter i post where i know people are reading makes me so happy. if you'd like to stay up to date with my posting, writing progression, and future story ideas, check my twitter out! @ sipmj_007

**Location: Safehouse at the Capital - The Present**

 

If there would be repercussions for not staying at his, extremely vigilated, apartment during the night, Jeongin couldn’t care less. As he finally made his way to hug and greet every single one of his friends, he finally felt at peace. He hadn’t felt it in years, and the feeling of loneliness evaporated instantly leaving in its midst the feeling of being complete. As Woojin had warned, Felix  _ didn’t  _ sound like the child he left behind. His voice got deeper, his skin was tanner, and his freckles darkened too over the years. He still looked angelic and almost fragile, and Jeongin wondered if he had truly been taking care of himself. Not that he needed to question it, every single one of his friends explained how they did take care of him, one by one kept telling him the ways they did: Jisung was mostly in charge of keeping him fed, while Seungmin kept him company, and Woojin would keep an eye for his safety. For years they couldn’t shake the feeling that if Jeongin had been so abruptly taken away, that the same could’ve happened to Felix. They were never able to sleep comfortably again and the hope to find Jeongin one day kept them from breaking apart. 

Felix held onto Jeongin during the night, as everyone kept telling stories of how they all managed to do life without Jeongin. How one day they came over to their place and Felix sounded completely different and nobody knew exactly how or why but they just went with it. Jisung told Jeongin about the day they all decided to join the rebellion. Jeongin could feel Felix’s body stiffening besides him as Jisung told Jeongin about it, close to tears.

Jeongin couldn’t believe the extent of the damage the higher ups were doing to the country. According to Jisung, almost a quarter of the Islanders had been massacred and, whoever survived, were either taken away to other districts where nobody would ever know from them again or would stay at their district facing hunger and illnesses. 

“After that, people in our village began to fall sick. Some died, others started to disappear. At some point we thought it was strange, but they all started to show the symptoms your mom did…” Jisung explained.

“As I mentioned before, we believe it’s not a coincidence. We  _ are  _ being killed,” Woojin finished and Jeongin nodded in shock. 

“It’s been a long day,” Jeongin complained, his eyes starting to flutter shut on their own. “I am here for the cause, guys. And I think I have a few ideas on how to help.”

“We should sleep and talk about it tomorrow,” Felix said, pushing Jeongin a bit so he’d stand up. Everyone else agreed and slowly, picked out rooms. Seungmin and Jisung picked one room while Felix and Jeongin walked into the next one. Woojin smiled and wishes every one of them a good night, acting as if he was ready to go to bed. In reality, Woojin needed some time alone. He walked over to the living room again and opened the door that led to a small balcony. He sat on a chair, and looked out into the night sky. He felt relieved, knowing everyone was inside safe and sound. He finally let his tears free, still not being able to shake the emotion he felt at seeing Felix jump into Jeongin’s arms, how raw and loud their cries had been to the point where his own heart was shaking. He knew it’d be emotional, it had been so many years. But he wasn’t expecting to find himself biting his lip to keep his composure as everyone else cried for the two of them but also for themselves. He hadn’t lied, most of his hope that Jeongin was still alive was mostly to keep Felix’s own spirits up. Finding him and then having Felix come back to his brother moved him to no end. He hoped none of it would change his stoic demeanor too much, he still needed it if he wanted everything they planned to succeed.

With that his tears stopped and he looked towards the Military Ministry’s building. It was far enough, yet he found it ironic the safe house was so close. He brought his hand to carefully caress his own neck, still being able to feel Chan’s arm pressing against him. A few seconds more in that lock, could’ve easily killed him. He wondered how much of a thought in Chan’s programming Jeongin put and if, at that instant, Chan was just shut down completely or if in his state he could somehow dream. He wondered, if that was the case, what he could dream about. He couldn’t shake his own guilt at seeing Chan so worried about hurting him. He wondered, if somehow he was active, if he was still processing what had happened over and over again. After all, Jeongin made sure to insist he isn’t sentient. But Woojin couldn’t get rid of the feeling that maybe Jeongin unknowingly went too far.

Inside, in the second room to the right in the hallway, two brothers held each other tightly as if in fear they’d disappear if they didn’t. They tried to keep their voices low, whispering apologies back and forth.

_ “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,”  _ Jeongin would cry.

_ “I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner,”  _ Felix would cry back. 

_ “I’m sorry I was taken.” _

_ “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them.” _

They’d go over and over again at their apologies until Jeongin fell asleep. Felix brought him closer to himself and promptly fell asleep after. He had to admit, he hadn’t slept in such peace and comfort in years.

The next morning was, rather, chaotic. Jeongin was awakened by the sound of his friends and his brother arguing. Or, at least, he thought they were arguing. But when he went into the kitchen, there was no argument. Just instructions going back and forth over how to cook the ham and eggs, and jokes about each other that Jeongin had no idea what they meant. They were loud. Louder than he remembered them. 

Once everyone was ready to eat, Jeongin decided there was no time to waste.

“I think we should strategize today. I need more information on what you guys want to do so I can chip in my ideas.”

“Take down those monsters for starters,” Jisung cheered and everyone but Woojin and Jeongin cheered back.  

“You guys never learn,” Woojin shook his head and smiled. “You gotta be quiet about these things.”

“I’m sorry, I got excited,” Jisung apologized with Seungmin nodded fervently next to him. Felix chuckled and looked over at Jeongin.

“The government parade is in a month. We want to figure out a way we can make the people see what they are doing to us, there. We need proof,” Felix stopped and chugged the remainder of his drink. “And insiders.”

“You’ve got the insiders,” Jeongin said.

“Maybe brute force, too,” Felix added and Jeongin smiled.

“You definitely got the brute force too.” At that Felix frowned, confused. Sure, Woojin was strong, but he wasn’t enough to take on so many soldiers. Jeongin looked at Woojin for approval and he nodded back. “Okay everyone, I will now share with you guys what I have and what I think I can do. Long story short, when I was taken, it was because the government wanted kids who knew how to build things for a project. After many trials, I was the one given the task to create… robots.”

“Robots?” Seungmin interrupted. Jeongin nodded.

“Robots. They are human like, but I programmed them.”

“Programmed?” Jisung asked and Jeongin nodded again.

“I created four creatures who aren’t quite human but look and act like it.” This seemed to satisfy everyone’s curiosity. “They are strong, and smart. And when Woojin found me, I was able to put in some special commands in them. Basically, the government wanted four individuals they could use to protect themselves and do their dirty work. But, they will be turned against them because it is what I intend to code them with.”

“That all sounds very complicated,” Felix said. “I mean, do you think it will work?”

“Yes,” Jeongin said simply. “They can gather information we’ll need. They can act as if they were on their side when, in reality, they are on ours.”

“I’m still confused on how they work,” Jisung asked, genuinely curious. Jeongin smiled.

“I have to leave soon, but after, I promise I’ll tell you more about them.”

“Okay everyone, so for today you guys should rest,” Woojin pointed at Jisung, Felix, and Seungmin. “Jeongin and I will be heading to the Ministry for the day and we’ll be back tonight.”

Everyone agreed. Jeongin went to grab his coat from the bedroom and walked back out. He was following Woojin towards the door when he felt a slight tug of his shirt. Felix stood there staring at the floor, tears threatening to escape his eyes then. Jeongin sighed and hugged him tightly. 

“I’ll be back tonight, okay?” Jeongin reassured him.

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

Jeongin felt a weight on his shoulders as Woojin locked the door behind them and began to walk towards the Ministry. He wanted to stay in, to hear everything about his brother and his friends’ lives while he was gone, every single detail. But the clock was ticking, and he hoped he’d have that time soon. 

 

After making it to the building, both Jeongin and Woojin wasted no time in making their way towards the labs at the basement.

“Good morning. Could I have some coffee for me and soldier Kim here?” Jeongin asked his secretary. She smiled and nodded, leaving to get the drinks while Jeongin walked into his lab. He screamed once the lights turned on and he found the Minister of Business standing there accompanied by four soldiers. 

“I have been given notice of what you have done in this lab. The results seem to be more than satisfying. However, one of your projects crosses a line.” Jeongin nodded softly. “By creating what I have been told, you are questioning the official story of the state in regards to my dear son.” 

“However, he had a good reason to do so,” Jeongin felt his skin turn cold and his stomach turn upside down. He knew the Military Minister’s voice too well. He had entered the room at some point and the fact Jeongin didn’t even hear him do so sent chills down his spine. 

“Ah, yes. The rumors, I am aware.”

“Then it’s settled. It is for everyone’s own good that Mr. Yang here created this specimen,” the Military Minister’s voice was calm and almost paternal like as he talked about Jeongin’s accomplishment. He sounded proud but Jeongin knew he was just excited to see how he could use his creations for his own purposes. He was excited Jeongin was giving him exactly what he wanted. Or so he thought.

“I want to see it,” the Minister of Business said suddenly. Jeongin nodded and went ahead to unlock the door that led to the backside. In there, he was followed by both ministers to Minho’s pod. He could hear the amazed gasps and hushed whispers between both ministers but was too nervous to try and figure out what they were saying. Minho looked as if he was in a peaceful slumber that only Jeongin could wake him up from. He expected the command but it never came. Instead, he felt a strong pat on his back and when he finally turned around he realized both ministers and their soldiers were gone. He sighed and looked for Woojin.

“They didn’t question me not staying at home last night,” Jeongin whispered.

“I found it strange, too. But still, we have to be careful. What are you going to be doing now?”

“I will wake Chan and Minho,” Jeongin said as he walked back into the back room. “And then I will work on the third out of the four. I also want to test something, specifically something in Minho’s code.” Woojin followed. Jeongin woke Chan first. Woojin kept an eye on him as he noticed his eyes moving behind the eyelids. In the meantime, Jeongin worked on waking Minho up. 

“Hi Woojin!” Jeongin heard the excited voice of Chan going off behind him. “You will never believe when I tell you what happened!”

“What happened?” Woojin asked chuckling. 

“I had visions! When I was there, I had visions! And you were there, and you were also there Jeongin!” Chan was talking so fast as he jumped off his pod.

“They’re called dreams, Chan,” Jeongin replied. Chan gasped.

“Dreams?” he asked, walking over to Jeongin. “Can you tell me more about them?” Jeongin smiled, explaining in terms he thought Chan would be able to understand. They both walked towards the main room in the lab while Minho slowly woke up and sat on his pod. He stared at Woojin confusedly as Woojin’s eyes followed Chan as he walked away, chatting with Jeongin. His expression was soft and he remembered how he had wondered if Chan could dream. The confirmation was a bit surprising and Woojin couldn’t stop thinking about what it could mean. Minho found what Woojin was so interested on and smiled. He jumped off his pod and patted Woojin in the back. 

“Hi Woojin,” he said simply, a slight knowing smirk on his lips. Woojin thought he had gone crazy but before he could question Minho, he had already walked away to join the other two. Woojin shook his head, determined to put away any thoughts that could distract him from what they needed to do. At the request of Jeongin he went over to grab their coffees from the reception desk and, walking back, he saw Minho sitting at Jeongin’s chair.

“I want you to try something, Minho,” Jeongin said. He got closer to the other and whispered something. Woojin could see Minho nodding and noticed how he started typing on the keyboard. He began to drink his own cup of coffee while handing Jeongin’s over. Minho was fast, much faster than Jeongin. The screen was full of letters and numbers and Woojin felt a little dizzy trying to figure them out. Suddenly, Minho stopped and handed a headphone with a microphone attached to Jeongin. Jeongin walked over to the back room but remained in sight. He also held the small device he had given the Minister when he introduced Chan. Jeongin spoke into the headphone. Suddenly, Chan was hugging Woojin. Woojin almost spilled his coffee on himself, while Jeongin walked over laughing. “I guess Chan can hear my commands now, too. And I can hear what he hears. You can let him go.”

“What did you order him to do?”

“Hug you! You need tons of those, if I’m gonna be honest,” Jeongin said, smiling widely at him. “Not only that, but I have proved Minho’s skills. He is a good hacker.”

“You made him a hacker?” Woojin asked.

“It was requested for one of them to be one. In general, he knows how to program and hack, too. His ultimate test, though, will be to finish the programming for the third.”

“And how exactly is he supposed to do that?” Woojin asked, looking over at Minho who was already typing into the computer again.

“I made sure he  _ knows  _ how, Woojin. We don’t have a lot of time. If we want information on what exactly this government is planning by the parade, the four need to be ready way before then. The four will need to spend time with the ministers and with us,” Jeongin placed his empty cup at the desk by Minho who was quietly working his way through the codes. “Minho will finish the codes for the one I called Hyunjin. And I’ll finish the codes for the fourth. His name is Changbin.” Woojin just nodded, unsure at what he was feeling. He could feel Chan staring out of the corner of his eye.

“What can I do to help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone PLEASE ACCEPT THIS FILLER A** CHAPTER! :(   
> it got very long because i couldn't stop so, actually, the chapter was divided in two parts. the second part i am hoping to have revised and posted by the end of the week! :)


	5. Chapter 5

The Military Minister silently stood before a nervous Jeongin. He didn’t move, only his eyes as he stared at them. First, he stared at Chan and, had Chan not been a robot, he would’ve started to tremble under his gaze. Next to him stood Woojin, who tried to avoid the Minister’s gaze. The minister sinisterly smiled at Woojin, remembering how he tried to get off Chan’s tight grip on his neck, at his command, nonetheless. A ruthless machine that could kill anyone he wanted; the Minister looked at Chan again with a satisfied grin. He finally took his eyes off the bother of them, placing them on Minho. Even a man who was a fan of brute force like the Minister could revel in the delicate features that Minho presented. His coding to be an excellent hacker also made him the most attractive for his purposes, right after Chan.

Next to Minho stood the two that Jeongin called him to meet. The two new men stood staring forward, past the Minister’s head. One was visibly shorter than the rest of them, his serious demeanor rivaling the Minister’s, his eyes almost as dark as his hair which was neatly parted in the middle. According to Jeongin, he had a way of creating and using explosives. The way he coded him, Changbin was his name, he could create a bomb that nobody could defuse, maybe to his own fault, not even himself. Jeongin toyed with the idea of not telling the Minister about this knowledge of Changbin’s but he also figured if the Minister knew he would never be suspicious of the kinds of things Changbin could do. Next to Changbin stood the last of the four, his light brown hair framing his face in a way that he looked like he could talk himself into and out of anything. And _that_ was his essence. He could sweet talk anyone or destroy anyone’s will with just a string of carefully connected words in the span of a few seconds, something Jeongin remembered Felix being able to do, too. Ideally, this fourth, Hyunjin, would be able to talk to others in a way that he could convince them of whatever he needed for them to believe.

The Minister looked at everyone then posed his eyes on Jeongin who tried to not show his discomfort by standing perfectly still.

“I congratulate you,” the Minister said. “You have done a wonderful job here, Jeongin. I think all the Ministers will be proud of the work you’ve done.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jeongin replied.

“I expect you to have a full report on each of these creations of yours and ways they can influence positively in matters of the State by tomorrow morning. You will be introducing them to the other Ministers, and we will begin to plan the usage of these creations. I also want you to know that your job isn’t done. You’ll be an essential part of our efforts. You will be given more details regarding that, soon,” the Minister nodded at Jeongin who nodded back. He huffed and raised his chest to ensure everyone else would see him as the imposing threat Jeongin knew he was. He had never seen someone who was so big and imposing, the Minister was almost like a wild bear, his teeth bearing whenever he opened his mouth to speak. Once again Jeongin nodded and stood awkwardly still as the Minister walked out followed by his soldiers. After he was gone, Jeongin released a loud breath.

“He is terrifying,” he said as he walked over to lock the door. He looked back at everyone who also shown themselves as more relaxed. Jeongin walked over to Changbin and could hear Chan whisper something to Woojin though he couldn’t exactly figure out what.

“I think you did a great job with the four,” Woojin commented as he inspected Changbin and Hyunjin closely. Jeongin smiled at them and Hyunjin was first to respond.

“Of course he did. _I_ am perfect,” he said as he looked at himself in the reflection of a mirror that stood by the door. Jeongin chuckled at Woojin’s questioning stare.

“Who is he based on?” Woojin asked.

“Nobody in particular,” Jeongin responded as he sat at his desk. “I just figured it’d be fun to play a bit with their personality codes before presenting them to the Minister.”

“Why?”

“Well, they will actually be working with us. But even then, I think some sort of personality to them would make thinking that they are human easier.”

Woojin looked at Chan who walked Changbin around the lab. He didn’t know the name of more than half of the things he was showing him but Changbin didn’t seem to care, he was attentive and took it all in. He was silent, a big difference from Hyunjin who was just going off about how he thought he’d look beautiful if he had different colored eyes to Minho who was, noticeably, starting to lose his patience.

“They feel _too_ human, at times,” Woojin finally said as he looked back at Chan who was just softly smiling at him while Changbin asked questions about Jeongin’s computers. Woojin looked away, hoping Chan wouldn’t see the faint blush creeping on his cheeks at the attention.

“Then I did my job right, right?” Jeongin questioned and Woojin nodded.

“So what now?” Woojin asked.

“I prepare tomorrow’s report,” Jeongin replied. “Which can take a while, I’m not the best with words. I’m having Hyunjin help me. I was thinking,” he stopped mid-sentence, visibly anxious, “you could check on everyone else. And tell them that everything is okay. And that I might come back a bit late.”

“I could,” Woojin smiled. “And I will. I bet they are as anxious as you are right now. Plus, probably hungry. I wouldn’t expect any of them to have cooked any lunch for themselves.”

“Thank you,” Jeongin replied. If he could he’d leave himself. But he knew it was a matter of hours, and how well he and Hyunjin did until he could spend much more time with his brother. It was torture, knowing he was so close, yet he couldn’t be around him. He had so many questions and concerns, he wanted to hear every single detail about every single day Felix spent without him, and he wanted to tell him about his as well.

When Woojin left, Hyunjin was sitting next to Jeongin drafting his report while Chan was teaching Changbin about facial expressions. Minho sat in a corner with a laptop Jeongin gave him, practicing how to hack into one of the other computers in the lab.

Outside it was cloudy, and he could hear some thunder in the distance. A storm was brewing and Woojin just hoped he could make it to the safe house and back to Jeongin without having to deal with it. The wind was picking up as he walked out wearing only his uniform. The way to the safe house seemed to go by fast. His mind was far from the way the windows in the buildings began to be closed by the people inside, or how the streets began to empty themselves as the thunder hit closer. But all he could think about was Chan. He was curious, more than anything, at how he seemed much more human than even Jeongin could understand. He was fast at learning how to express emotions and he _knew_ emotions which, to Woojin, didn’t seem like something he needed. Nor did he think it was something he could be coded with, no matter how much Jeongin wanted to convince him. The way Chan was still concerned about Woojin after the attack the Military Minister imposed on him. Earlier after he left, Chan sounded concerned as he asked Woojin if he really was okay because even he noticed how the Minister took a particular interest in looking at Woojin with a sadistic glint in his eyes.

When Woojin made it to the safe house, he found Felix wrestling Jisung while Seungmin read on a newspaper Woojin had left unbothered by the other two who were playing by his feet. He didn’t have to announce himself as Jisung said hi from under Felix.

“We got bored,” Felix explained though judging by the twinkle in Woojin’s eyes, he was more amused than anything.

“I see,” was all Woojin answered as he took off the upper coat of his uniform and his boots and left them by the door. He then walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a glass. Filling it up with water, he could feel the eagerness and three pairs of eyes looking at him from behind the kitchen counter. “Jeongin was successful with the project the government entrusted him with. He has to prepare a report and present it tomorrow, though, so he might take some time at the lab today.”

“Does that mean he can spend more time with us now?” Felix asked, genuinely hopeful.

“He’ll try,” Woojin responded turning to face them. “It’s hard. They still require of his service though I believe he has a plan. So we’ll see.” Felix couldn’t hide his disappointment though he understood. He could never be mad at Jeongin, he knew it wasn’t his fault. “He sent me over to check on you guys and to keep you updated.”

The storm outside was beginning to rage, the winds furiously shaking the windows. Seungmin went to close them and draw the blinds as Jisung wasn’t too keen on seeing the lightning strike.

“Woojin,” Seungmin began, “do you trust we will be able to do anything?”

“I do,” Woojin replied, smiling. “We found Jeongin even though we didn’t trust we could. I think we will be able to take care of everything else with him.” Woojin understood Seungmin’s skepticism. If the storm outside was to be a sign of any sort, however difficult any of this they imagined would be was probably going to be ten times so. But they were here, together, and it was too late to back down. Plus, he trusted Jeongin’s creations. He knew nobody could have further strength than that of Chan’s. Or the way with computers of Minho’s, or even words like Hyunjin. And, making a person who is talented with explosives like Changbin was supposed to be was the best idea Jeongin could’ve had. If anything went awry, they could explode everything.

“What are you thinking about?” Jisung asked as Woojin remained silent looking into the distance.

“That I have to go back already,” Woojin lied. The other three looked concerned. “You all take care of yourselves and do not hurt each other playing like children. I’m updating Jeongin that you are all okay. I’ll be back soon after to help you guys make some dinner.”

“Yes, please,” Jisung pleaded. “We had sandwiches for lunch but I don’t want to have sandwiches for dinner too!”

“You’ll eat whatever is available!” Seungmin told him while softly covering his mouth with his hand. “Woojin is taking good care of us already by having us here.”

“Be safe,” Woojin said ignoring their bickering as he prepared to endure the storm outside. It was as strong as he expected it from the sound of it yet he walked through it effortlessly. Maybe because his own mind was storming, and he was automatically making his way back to the lab without paying much attention. For a second he also began to question how successful would they be with their plan, whatever the plan was. He began to question Jeongin’s creations and if they’d remain loyal to them. He shook his head, though, because he truly wanted to believe they’d be. He wanted to believe _he_ ’d be loyal no matter what.

The walk went by as fast as usual and when he made his way into the lab he found Jeongin surrounded by the four, who sat on the floor looking at him. He was practicing his speech for the next morning and the image was, to Woojin, the funniest thing he had seen in a while.

“So, what’s the plan?” Woojin asked after telling Jeongin the others, and yes even Felix, were okay.

“No big deal,” Jeongin said as he stood from his chair and stretched. The four took this as their cue to also stand up and stretch, though Woojin doubted they needed to. “I’m convincing the Ministers tomorrow that the four will be most useful if they can perfectly mimic human beings.”

“Okay,” Woojin replied. “And how can they learn that?”

“By living with other humans, of course!” Jeongin smiled. Woojin stared at him, confused. Jeongin noticed and sighed. “You never understand me, Woojin,” he pouted, making Woojin feel a bit guilty for not following.

“I’m sorry. So, how are you doing that?”

“I’m bringing the four to the safe house, of course!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM BACK! I apologize for the delay, summer classes are pretty time (and neurons lol) consuming. But they are almost over and I have been able to write this chapter which is the beginning of what many of you are here for! For our boys to be ALL together! Thank you all for your support!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am back??? INCREDIBLE!   
> pls see ending notes and remember to follow my fanfic updates twitter sipmj_007!

“This is not gonna work,” Woojin said nervously as he walked behind Jeongin through the large corridor that led to the meeting room.

“It will,” Jeongin replied simply, trying his best to show some sort of confidence. They were being followed by Chan, Minho, Changbin, and Hyunjin who tried to keep up. It was their first time outside the lab, though, and everything and everyone they walked by seemed interesting which made it hard to keep up with Jeongin and Woojin who kept arguing back and forth on whether their plan would work out.

They stopped in front of a pair of large black doors. They were decorated with patterns that included the emblems of each of the ministries and the large Pangea emblem right in the middle: a map of Pangea with a single man standing on top of it wielding a sword and a shield. Jeongin had always found this emblem particular. He was witness that not only one man controlled Pangea, its control was shared between the Ministers in a way that was absolutely not equal. Two guards stood by the doors and just stared at the group. No words were needed, though, as they opened the doors swiftly so that they could walk into the magnificent, court-like room. The walls were made of obsidian, quickly drawing attention to the large golden chandelier that was suspended in the middle of the room. Towards the end of the room there were five tall podiums, as black as the walls were, behind each there were golden chairs. In front of these podiums stood six metal chairs behind a small metal table. The group quickly took seats in each of these except for Chan and Woojin who remained standing behind the rest. When the time was 10 a.m., the four ministers walked into the room from a door that was hidden from the group, behind the podiums. Each took to their golden seats leaving the one in the middle empty. Usually, Pangea’s leader would sit in this chair yet not many cases were important enough to bring the man himself into the room. It wasn’t needed.

The four ministers could carry the job on their own. The Military Minister sat besides the Business Minister. On the left side of the central podium sat the Technology Minister and the Communications Minister. The Ministries had lots of various jobs within them, for example, the Technology Ministry included a small Department of Healthcare that, usually, would keep its best doctors and medicine out of the common folk’s reach. But, combined, they all become like a large dragon, making sure the richness of the Capital remains in the Capital, and that the power that they and their leader had remained within their hands. Together, they employed the kidnap of gifted children around Pangea and brought them to the Capital where each was killed except for one.

Jeongin looked at each of the Minister’s in the eyes, absolutely terrified yet also aware that they considered anyone looking away disrespectful. Jeongin had practiced enough times since he was first brought in that it was almost second nature to him, even if he could barely keep his body from shaking under their gaze. The Military Minister made a sign to Jeongin which he knew it meant he should start to speak.

“Ministers. I thank you for allowing this audience to happen today. I understand you have taken time out of your busy schedules to meet up with me and I am proud to inform, you will not regret it,” Jeongin gulped, he began to shake less. The Ministers’ stern expressions weren’t new to him and all he could think about was Felix’s proud face when he accomplished their goal. “I was asked to prepare four new beings that would mimic human beings perfectly, except for the fact that these beings would have a set of skills that would benefit Pangea.” Stopping to breathe, he found ironic that he had to say it was for Pangea’s benefit when, in fact, it was for the leadership only. “These four beings have exceptional skills, including brute force, technology understanding and dismantlement, weapon creation and use, and negotiation skills that can’t be even dreamed of by a human being. These beings have been presented to the Military Minister previously, showcasing their abilities. They, for sure, will be of assistance to your goals for Pangea.”

The silence that followed as the Ministers deliberated on Jeongin’s words felt like hours. Jeongin knew he couldn’t ask anything from the Ministers yet. He felt like every passing second was too much time away from Felix and far from developing their plan.

“I assure you, gentlemen,” the Military Minister started, “these beings this young man created are beyond what we had expected when we first established the program. They are all we had expected to have plus more. What this man has done could earn him life-long benefits.”

Jeongin blinked. He began to play with his fingers which he had hid behind his back. “Life-long” meant probably a few months, even if they didn’t carry their plan out. There was no way they’d let him live.

“I will accept your word, Minister,” the Communications Minister replied. The Technology Minister nodded his agreement and it was all down to the Business Minister.

Jeongin could feel the heat from his anger boiling as he took a careful look at Minho. Jeongin hoped the Military Minister had talked to him already, otherwise, he could back down and probably have Jeongin’s head. But after a few minutes, he nodded his approval.

“Now what?” the Military Minister asked Jeongin.

“There is one request I must make to ensure they work beyond the expectations of each of you. Because of the setting they currently live in, I believe they need to go outside and practice how to involve themselves around other human beings. This is to ensure they will act as naturally as possible once they become part of your teams. I would only request for the daytime hours to have them out. I will be keeping an eye on them as will Mr. Kim. And we can set a curfew of your choosing to make sure they are back in the premises and I can report on their development.”

“Done,” the Military Minister responded which took Jeongin and Woojin aback. He had prepared a longer speech as to why it was necessary in case there were any issues but now he felt like this was an anticlimactic way of ending the meeting. “If that is all, your permission to take them out of the premises begins today at the 13th hour. They will need to be back every night at the 20th hour, at the latest. I’d bring them earlier just because I will expect daily reports to be turned in the following morning by 9 sharp. After the reports are turned in, you are allowed to take them out again until the 20th hour. Will you be able to comply with this?”

“Yes,” answered Jeongin, still surprised.

“Very well then. You have surprised us in a good way, Jeongin. I hope you continue to do so. This session is dismissed.” And with that, each Minister left the room. Jeongin shrugged at Woojin who looked as equally confused.

“Guess you guys are meeting the gang today.”

\--

The walk towards the safe house was nerve wrecking. Though it had been mostly an excuse, Chan, Changbin, Minho, and Hyunjin were as awkward as he had portrayed them in the meeting. Chan tried to engage in conversation with almost every single person he encountered, Changbin would come too close to people and silently stare at them, while Minho would follow stray cats into alleys, and Hyunjin was… somehow flirting with strangers. Jeongin felt like he had lost several years of his life when they finally made it to the safe house. They were greeted by Seungmin who gave them a relieved smile. Seeing that the first part of the plan worked, everyone quickly became relaxed even as they curiously looked at the four men that followed Jeongin and Woojin.

“I knew you would make it!” Felix said hugging Jeongin. Jeongin laughed when suddenly they felt a third pair of arms surrounding them. Felix had the most confused expression while Jeongin knew exactly what was going on.

“He is a bit expressive; I can’t remember where I coded him to be like this.” Chan hugged them tightly before breaking the hug. He went to hug Jisung and Seungmin who just accepted it.

“I am not doing that,” Minho said. Jeongin chuckled.

“It won’t be necessary.”

Jeongin took his time to introduce each of his creations and explain to everyone what each of them could do.

“Now, their curiosity is off the roof. It was almost impossible to make it here. So we don’t have much time today except to tell you guys a bit of what I think we should do.” Jeongin stood in front of the other 8 as some sat on the couch and other sat on the floor.

“Go on,” Jisung asked.

“I wasn’t aware they truly are hopelessly awkward around other human beings. Which is why I think that for the first part of their days outside, we should take them out. Because it is illegal for so many people to be congregated like this, I was thinking I could have each of you take one of them. Then, we would come back here and prepare for the parade.”

“Shouldn’t be hard,” Jisung said ecstatically. He brought on an energy that had everyone excited for what was to come. They cheered and laughed, joined by Chan and Hyunjin who wanted to start learning how to be more human. At least then, they weren’t as awkward.

But it didn’t last long.

When they came back the next morning, Jeongin had paired them up on his own. And Jisung kept complaining Minho was too stoic and inhuman to be around because he wouldn’t laugh at his jokes. Seungmin was a blushing mess even before he left through the door as Hyunjin kept complimenting him. He had to keep reminding himself Hyunjin was a robot, he wasn’t truly flirting with him. Felix didn’t care much for Changbin’s dark expressions as he was confident he’d turn out to be fun. And then there was Woojin who could barely take his eyes off the ground as Chan excitedly told him about all the fun things he thought they could do in their first morning out. And once everyone was out, Jeongin took a well-deserved, long nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOF HERE WE GO!  
> who is excited to see some low key dates in the following chapters? if you are leave me a comment telling me who are you most excited to see. my only spoiler is as follows: each couple will be getting a chapter of their own. are you all ready?


	7. Chapter 7

Jeongin sat as he saw everyone leave the apartment, his mind going back and forth with ideas. He trusted his friends to do their best for his creations, but he was also wary. Everything had been going according to plan and he knew better than to think things would go smoothly until the end. He grabbed a piece of bread from the kitchen and sat at the small dining table, contemplating his choices. If he had learned something out of being in the Capital was to always have more than one plan. Sometimes, it was best not to say anything.

He started to feel the familiar sensation of guilt grasping his frame, the piece of bread remained untouched. Sure, his friends had already been planning something on their own but, now, he had brought them devices to their plan that could make the consequences even worse if they got caught. However, he also felt content. At some point, he had settled on the idea he would never see Felix again. And, at times, he’d forget what Felix looked like, or sounded like. Memories of their childhood began to morph with the nightmares of his current life and as much as he hoped Felix was okay and knowing Felix was his rock through it all, he had decided it was best to not think about his brother too much.

Jeongin began to chuckle as he tried to imagine how the day was going for everyone else. He felt a bit sorry for Jisung, a boy as bright as the Sun itself, with the most contagious humor, and the most positive attitude possible, considering their world, of course, being off with Minho.

He would’ve laughed harder if he had had a chance to actually see them as they walked through the streets of the Capital. Jisung had decided that, even if Minho didn’t need it, he’d get them some pastries and found a perfect, almost well-hidden spot, owned by an old lady with a kind smile. Her grandchildren helped her make and sell her pastries and Jisung was too happy to oblige to her offer for a cheese Danish.

“It’s a shame you can’t eat that,” Jisung said as he savored his pastry, excited to know he’d be able to eat Minho’s right after.

“I can eat it,” Minho responded. He kept staring at it. “I don’t need to, but I can.”

“Can you? What would happen to you… you don’t have a stomach, what would happen to it?” Jisung questioned with a full mouth, his words barely comprehensible.

“I don’t know,” Minho replied. Before Jisung could protest against, Minho shoved the whole cheese Danish into his mouth.

“What are you doing!?” Jisung cried, trying to keep quiet as to not get anyone’s attention.

“It’s good,” Minho replied.

“You can’t taste it!” Jisung began to feel sick with disappointment. He loved those, his family used to make some good ones and these were the closest he could get. He was so excited to have two!

“Yes, I can,” Minho responded, his voice remaining as serious and stoic as usual. Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Of course you can. What the hell did Jeongin do, you guys are too human. What’s next, you can sneeze? Get a cold? Grow your hair out if it gets cut? Bleed? What is next?!” Jisung mumbled as he ate the last piece of his Danish.

“What is a sneeze?” Minho wondered though he asked more to himself than to Jisung who sighed loudly.

“Let’s keep going. It’s, surprisingly, nice out.”

“Okay,” Minho nodded as he stood up and walked by Jisung. “I am sorry about your Danish.”

“Did you really like it?” Jisung asked.

“Yes. I actually was able to taste it and I enjoyed it,” Minho replied.

“I guess it’s fine, then,” Jisung replied. Minho hummed softly and continued to walk by him.

“You must care about Jeongin a lot to have risked so much to be here,” Minho suddenly said, only loud enough for Jisung to hear him. The good thing about busy places like the Capital was that people often didn’t care for others’ conversations. Too much to do.

“He is like a little brother to me,” Jisung replied. “Just as much as Felix. We grew up together. I couldn’t stand seeing Felix lose himself after Jeongin was taken.”

“Lose himself?” Minho asked, genuine curiosity developing within himself though he didn’t understand it then.

“Would barely leave the house or feed himself. If Jeongin was surprised to _hear_ him I wish he could’ve been there when one day, out of the blue, he asks to go for a walk with us with _that_ voice,” Jisung chuckled. “Jeongin saved Felix. Felix regretted not being able to do the same for him. So, when we were old enough, we listened to him. How he felt Jeongin was alive, and we needed to come to him.”

“And here you are,” Minho said. Jisung nodded.

“And here we are.”

“I read his coding for Chan,” Minho said. “In many files, he had allusions to Felix. I think he went overboard with certain characteristics, though.”

“Yeah? You think?” Jisung asked, laughing. Chan was, definitely, too much. Jisung began to think that the only similarities between the two were Felix’s heritage which Jeongin tried to mimic in Chan. Minho smiled, but Jisung was too busy looking ahead trying not to bother people as they walked.

“I’m sure,” Minho replied.

After walking for thirty minutes around the main plaza and some shops, Jisung decided to follow a less congested road which led to a small prairie next to the city. The breeze hit them both, and Jisung felt so happy he went on and threw himself in the middle of the grass. He rolled in it overjoyed while Minho walked closer and opted for sitting next to him.

“I can’t believe a space like this exists around here,” Jisung said as he looked towards the sky.

“What’s so special about it?” Minho questioned.

“What’s so… special? Can’t you see it? Look at how beautiful, the trees, the flowers. The air passes easily through here. No one else to bother. The silence. Sometimes silence is a necessity rather than something to run away from.” Jisung heard the ruffling of the grass and some dried leaves. He stood up to see a small kitten, probably a few months old. It was a black feline, and it looked at them with the utmost intensity. Jisung began to feel a bit awkward under its gaze but Minho kept looking back at it. Transfixed by the movement of its tail, Minho remained quiet in his spot. Jisung stared at Minho, instead. Why would Jeongin give him such long eyelashes? They were pretty. His skin looked like that expensive thing, _porcelain_ or something like that. And there was a slight blush decorating his cheeks, one that hadn’t been there hours before, had it? And his lips were halfway open, as he concentrated on the kitten which was, at that instant, walking towards him.

Jisung’s bare thoughts became incoherent when the cat got on Minho’s lap and began to purr, earning a bright smile from him. When the cat began to rub his head against Minho’s cheeks and he chuckled, while his hand softly caressed the cat’s back and tail, Jisung couldn’t help but leave his mouth hanging wide open, too.

“What a precious little being,” Minho smiled, his voice softer than it had been barely minutes before. Jisung felt complicated.

_“Cats. Cats make him happy,”_ Jisung thought. He tried to make sure to memorize this fact. Surely, Jeongin would find it interesting. It was for Jeongin’s sake he tried to remember. Just for Jeongin.

Jisung began to feel complicated, in ways he hadn’t before. He just kept staring at the scene unfolding before him. Complicated couldn’t even begin to describe how much he wished he could, somehow, stay right there for a time without end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, writer's block is a whole ass b****. But WE ARE BACK ON IT! I'm sorry it took so long, and I appreciate everyone's patience regarding this. I am as happy as I guess some of you will be when the notif that this chapter was posted appears on your emails. Happy 2020, stan Stray Kids, and stream Levanter!


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